


Hesiation

by Takada_Saiko



Series: At the End of All the Lies [5]
Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future AU, Jacob on the task force, Keen2, followup to World on Fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 11:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4623468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takada_Saiko/pseuds/Takada_Saiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The task force is in NYC to take down a forger on Red's blacklist and Liz finds herself hesitating at the worst possible moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hesiation

**Hesitation**

"Well you clean up nicely."

Jacob turned and found himself staring. He hadn't heard Liz slip in, which was a wonder with the heels she was wearing. The smile she was wearing only grew with his silence, his blue gaze sweeping over the simple black dress and the way her hair was piled up with only wisps escaping. "Wow," he managed, take my a step forward.

Liz's smile reached all the way to her eyes as she met him halfway. "You going to be able to focus on the job, babe?" she teased.

"Yeah. Yes, of course," he managed, clearing his throat and purposefully pulling himself out of his daze.

She was still grinning at him, and damn it if she didn't know exactly how to keep him stammering. His ex wife stepped forward, a mischievous glint in her eye as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Jacob melted into it, his hands going to her hair and she probably could have asked him for anything and he would have willingly given it. Instead, she pulled back, laughing as he followed, and leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. "I don't think I believe you."

"Totally your fault," he chuckled, finally steadying himself. They had both been running like mad for this case, and a week into it he'd barely seen her. If he wasn't tracking down contacts on the streets then she was bent over a file at her desk long after everyone else had gone home. She had warned him once they were both in the field he would understand, and he did. If he would admit it or not, he was also starting to understand all of those canceled dinners. The job was demanding.

"This could turn into a big case," Liz said seriously. "Ressler's watching you close on it-"

"So don't screw it up?" Jacob chuckled and received a swat to the arm for his efforts.

"I know you won't," she answered softly. "You keep telling me how good at your job you are."

He smirked and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss against her knuckles. "Something's bothering you."

His ex sighed. "This guy handled a lot of Bud's forging work?"

"Passports and documents. Not all of it, but yeah, he'll be a big catch."

"What if he knows you left?"

Jacob shrugged. "He probably does, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't go to him. Business is business. If I have the money for the job, he's not going to get in the middle of Bud's and mine. He doesn't know I'm working with the feds."

"And you don't have any problem taking down a guy that trusts you?"

There was a little hesitation in her voice and he tilted his head. "Isn't that what we're banking on? If everything goes down right, he won't have a clue it was me." He reached out, fingers ghosting across her face and she leaned into his touch, her eyes never leaving his. She was looking for something, and he offered a smile. "It's just business, Lizzy. Why are you worried?"

"I guess I'm just nervous. This is the first time we've tossed you out into the field like this and-"

"And you don't want me to screw it up," he laughed.

"I just know how much can go wrong, and we _need_ this guy. Even if things go south and it's not your fault-"

She wasn't worried about him screwing up, she was worried he'd take the blame. It was sweet, even if unnecessary. "I can handle your buddy Ressler," Jacob answered. "Anyway, I have the best back up around. We're going to get him."

Liz's studying gaze eased just a little and she squeezed his hand that was still holding hers. "And after, I think you and I may have earned a nice quiet night in."

Jacob grinned, the smile real. "Yeah?"

"Just you, me, Hudson, and a movie?"

"That sounds just about perfect," he agreed and let go of her hand long enough to shrug his coat on over his shoulders. She looped her arm through his as they started down the hall of the hotel for one final briefing before they went after a man that could, potentially, give them the names of dozens of people looking to become someone else for less than honest reasons. It was a big case, Jacob knew, and it was one that was about to prove his worth to the task force.

* * *

She had only seen Jacob in action a couple of times, if she didn't count the time they had been together when he had been _technically_ working for one employer or the other. They were after a blacklister that Reddington had brought forward by the name of Dale Townsend. On paper he owned a bar in New York City and ran it legitimately, but Red had painted a picture of much more sinister business underneath. Townsend ran a forgery business, using his bar to easily meet with clients. Jacob had confirmed that the Major had been a client of Townsend's for years and the forger had even taught a class or two about his art at the school over the years. The fact that it put Jacob in the perfect position to reach out to him was one of the few things that Ressler and he agreed on. Liz had her own reservations, but she had to remind herself that this was the kind of thing her ex husband had spent a great deal of his life doing. It was a quick undercover assignment, if it could even be considered that, and they would have him. Quick, quiet, and without drawing attention. It was the best way to flip him.

The bar was upscale, but not to the point that she was underdressed. Jacob ordered them both drinks and made scanned the crowd casually. If he spotted their man, she couldn't tell. "Relax," he murmured softly.

"I am."

"No you're not."

"Jacob Phelps. I haven't seen you in... Seven, eight years?"

Jacob turned, wearing an easy smile. "Dale. Good to see you. I wasn't sure you got my message."

"I have to admit I was surprised to get it," the other man answered. He was tall and lanky, blond and wore a calculating look. "There have been some rumours flying around about you. Have to admit I was surprised by some of them." His green gaze flickered over to Liz. "Looks like at least one of them was true. Your face has been all over the television, sweetheart."

"You see why I can't handle the situation myself," Jacob answered, his voice bordering on tight. He was watching Townsend carefully.

"You pick up a cop that kills a politician. I thought Bill raised you smarter than that."

"Listen, Dale, if the situation is too hot for you-"

"I never said that. I know you, Phelps. You're good. I just have to charge you more for all the trouble, and she's going to need a good dye job at the very least."

Liz resisted the urge to reach up to her dark hair. It had been dyed when she was on the run, but she had returned it to its natural colour as soon as she had come home. It felt right. It felt like her.

"Fair," Jacob said, his voice pulling her attention over. "How much?"

Townsend's gaze drifted out around the room before reaching into his coat pocket, plucking a folded piece of paper from it, and handing it over. Jacob scanned it and shrugged. "I thought you'd ask for more."

"You're in a tough spot, kid. What are friends for?"

That pulled a chuckle out of him. "Friends is not a label is put on us, Dale."

It seemed to be an old joke between them because Townsend laughed outright. "True. Well, at least she's easy on the eyes, huh? Hope she's worth all of this."

"What's one more alias?"

"For you, nothing. Good luck, sweetheart. This guy can pick them up and drop them faster than you can blink."

"He has a talent," Liz said, glancing up at Jacob. His expression didn't change, but his gaze followed Townsend's and her ex frowned when they were both staring at one of the undercover agents that had come in as backup. He'd moved in too soon and had drawn Townsend's attention.

"That's not a good sign," Jacob grumbled. "Unless you've changed your crowd."

"I swear, Phelps, if they followed your girl here-"

"You think I wouldn't have noticed?"

Townsend looked torn for just a moment. "Out the back."

Liz risked a glance up at Jacob. He had a better feel for the situation than she did. He knew the man. It was time to put that trust in him that she kept telling him that she had.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to follow. There was something strange his grip that she couldn't quite place, but it was enough to put her on alert. As they followed Townsend out the back door and into an alley, he turned, gun trained on them.

Jacob immediately stepped just a little in front of Liz and she resisted the urge to remind him that they were a team on this. She didn't need saving. "What the hell, Dale?"

"You think I'm stupid, Phelps? McCready takes a nose dive after you leave his organisation and you don't think that some of us see it for what it is?"

"And what's that, exactly?"

"You made you and your cop girlfriend a sweet deal. Hands where I can see see them, Phelps."

Liz realized very suddenly that Jacob was positioned so that she could reach for his weapon that was tucked in the back of his jeans, as long as it was done done discretely. Maybe they worked better together than she had given him credit for. She pulled her gun as Townsend stepped forward, and the forger froze where he was, startled, and having clearly underestimated her. "Drop it," she ordered, motioning to Townsend's own weapon.

There was something strange in his eyes with the way he was studying her, and a slow smile curled his lips. "No."

She saw the movement, almost in slow motion. Everything about the man said he was about to shoot, and while her training screamed at Liz to pull the trigger, she didn't. She couldn't. Something inside locked up.

Jacob moved faster than she could follow. One hand snapped the gun in Townsend's grip up, the shot going high, and the other came down hard on the man's wrist, wrenching the weapon away. In one swift motion he slammed the gun against Townsend's temple and sent him crumbling to the ground. He turned to look at her. "What happened?" he asked, worry lacing his voice, but she didn't get a chance to answer as several agents rounded the corner, Ressler leading them with his gun drawn.

Liz's former partner scanned the scene and holstered his weapon. "You two okay?"

"No thanks to your guy inside," Jacob snapped. "There was a reason I said to keep it to a minimum. Townsend saw your agent in there a mile away."

"You guys got out of it," Ressler said, wincing as he looked at the unconscious forger. "And he's going to have one hell of a headache."

"Better that than one of us dead," Liz said, handing Jacob his weapon back.

"True. Good work, Keen." He paused, purposefully ignoring the light glare she shot his way. "And Phelps."

"That was painful, wasn't it?" Jacob asked with a smirk and Liz popped him for it. His smirk only turned into a grin.

"Okay, let's wrap things up here," Ressler grumbled, ignoring him altogether.

Jacob's smile faded, though, and he turned a serious look on Liz that made her want to squirm. He waited until the other agents were out of earshot before speaking quietly to her. "You had the shot. Why didn't you take it?"

Liz pursed her lips together. "We needed him alive. Anyway, you had it under control."

"While I'd love to think that that was just the faith you have in me," Jacob murmured, his expression telling her very clearly that that _wasn't_ what he thought it was, "the truth is that you froze, babe. Why?"

She swallowed hard and her gaze drifted to her shoes. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "I just... Couldn't pull the trigger."

"I've seen you at the shooting range."

"That's paper. it doesn't have... lasting consequences." Her voice was tiny even to her own ears. She had been cleared through the psych evals to get back into the field. If Ressler caught even a hint that she had hesitated and connected it with everything that had happened, she'd be right back in therapy for it. She wanted things to go back to normal more than anything, or at least the new version of normal.

Suddenly strong arms were around her and she felt her ex husband press a kiss to the side of her head. "It's going to get better, Lizzy," he murmured.

"Have you..." She pulled back, looking him in the eyes. "Have you ever hesitated after killing someone?"

"No," he answered honestly. "Not like what you're talking about, but you're a better person than I am."

Liz gave a mirthless laugh. "I don't know about that."

"I do."

There was no pause, no hesitation in his answer and Liz wrapped her arms around him again. "You know, we don't _have_ to go back to DC tonight. I bet we could catch the first flight back in the morning."

"What? Spend the night here? Dinner and a hotel?"

"I bet Aram would be sweet enough to go let Hudson out."

Jacob grinned at her and kissed her. His faith in her staggered her sometimes. After everything that had happened, everything that he had witnessed that she was capable of, his faith in her made her want to prove him right. She only hoped that he knew that he had hers in return. He was a better man than he gave himself credit for, he just hadn't been given the opportunity to prove that to anyone but her yet. He would, though, and they could do this. As a team, she was sure they could.

* * *

Notes: I have trouble with the healing rates on this show. When it first started, I thought they were actually going to pay attention to that. Tom took several episodes to slowly and progressively get better from his injury, and even Ressler's leg could be seen as having steps (with the cane and such), but when it kind of went out the window in some spots. Liz's mental heath is one of them. This woman has been through a lot and while she's strong, she always seems to be alone in her home after everything goes down, like no one thought 'maybe this as affected her...' Memories were ripped from her subconscious? Kudos to Ressler for getting her out, but then I really hope that he offered to take her home and she booted him out or something, or else he failed in his partner/best friend duties. Anyway, I'll be interested to see if the way she killed Connolly (the fact that she flash back to supposedly killing her own father) has any lasting repercussions on her. Honestly, I could see them not cropping up until she was back with the task force. While she's on the run, she's out of her norm, but back with the task force, back in the construct of rules and regulations, every shot means something even more than just life or death. Because she doesn't want to have her world ripped apart again, I could see her hesitating. It's just a thought bouncing around in my head.


End file.
